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Kel'thuzad
Kel'Thuzad was a former member of the Council of Six, and now is the overseer of operations surrounding the enigmatic Cult of the Damned. He is the principal agents of the Lich King, who, alongside Heigan the Unclean is due to unleash the Plague of Undeath across Lordaeron. After his disappearance from Dalaran eighteen months ago, most of the Seven Kingdoms believes that the former Archmage had died from his madness, yet he is simply biding his time for his inevitable return. Biography 'The Kirin Tor' By the period shortly before the Second War, Kel'Thuzad was a member of the Council of Six, the high council of the Kirin Tor — the masters of Dalaran. Of the Kirin Tor's leaders, Kel'Thuzad was the most eager to gain access to the Guardian's Library — the depository of knowledge hoarded by Medivh in his tower of Karazhan — and thus was most upset when the library was lost. After Medivh's death, Kel'Thuzad and the other senior members of the Kirin Tor questioned Medivh's apprentice, Khadgar, about what happened; Kel'Thuzad seemed particularly interested in discovering more about the mysterious Order of Tirisfal, which — as he pointed out to Antonidas, the leader of the Kirin Tor — was relevant when discussing Medivh. 'Call of the Lich King' A handful of powerful individuals, scattered across the world, heard the Lich King's mental summons from Northrend. Most notable of them was the archmage Kel'Thuzad from the magical nation of Dalaran. Kel'Thuzad had been considered a maverick for years due to his insistence on studying the forbidden arts of necromancy. Driven to learn all he could of the magical world and its shadowy wonders, he was frustrated by what he saw as his peers' outmoded and unimaginative precepts. Upon hearing the powerful summons from Northrend, the archmage bent all of his considerable will to communing with the mysterious voice. Convinced that the Kirin Tor was too squeamish to seize the power and knowledge inherent in the dark arts, he vowed to learn what he could from the immensely powerful being named the Lich King. Eventually, Antonidas learned that Kel'Thuzad had been experimenting with necromancy by reanimating dead rats. Fearing for the safety and reputation of Dalaran, Antonidas had Kel'Thuzad's properties searched, and all items tainted by dark magic were confiscated and destroyed. Antonidas warned Kel'Thuzad that he would be stripped of his rank and holdings, and exiled from both Dalaran and Lordaeron, if he did not abandon his "madness". Leaving behind his fortune and prestigious political standing, Kel'Thuzad abandoned the ways of the Kirin Tor and left Dalaran forever. Prodded by the Lich King's persistent voice in his mind, he sold his vast holdings and stored away his fortunes. Traveling alone over many leagues of both land and sea, he finally reached the frozen shores of Northrend. Intent on reaching Icecrown and offering his services to the Lich King, the archmage passed through the ravaged, war-torn ruins of Azjol-Nerub. Kel'Thuzad saw firsthand the scope and ferocity of Ner'zhul's power. He began to believe that allying himself with the mysterious Lich King would not only be wise, but potentially fruitful. He met with Anub'arak and told him of all the power he could wield. But frightened by the horrors that he saw in Naxxramas, he teleported out and tried to escape. Unfortunately, he was surrounded by wraiths and was brought back inside. After long months of trekking through the harsh arctic wastelands, Kel'Thuzad finally reached the dark glacier of Icecrown. He boldly approached Ner'zhul's dark citadel and was shocked when the silent undead guardsmen let him pass as though he was expected. Kel'Thuzad descended deep into the cold earth and found his way down to the bottom of the glacier. Within the endless cavern of ice and shadows, he prostrated himself before the Frozen Throne and offered his soul to the dark lord of the dead. The Lich King was pleased with his latest conscript. He promised Kel'Thuzad immortality and great power in exchange for his loyalty and obedience. Kel'Thuzad, eager for dark knowledge and power, accepted his first great mission: to go into the world of men and found a new religion that would worship the Lich King as a god. To help the archmage accomplish his mission, Ner'zhul left Kel'Thuzad's humanity intact. The aged, yet still charismatic wizard was charged with using his powers of illusion and persuasion to lull the downtrodden, disenfranchised masses of Lordaeron into his confidence. Once he had their attention, he would offer them a new vision of what society could be — and a new figurehead to call their king. 'Cult of the Damned' Kel'Thuzad returned to Lordaeron in disguise, and over the span of three years, he used his fortune and intellect to gather a clandestine brotherhood of like-minded men and women. The brotherhood, which he called the Cult of the Damned, promised its acolytes social equality and eternal life on Azeroth in exchange for their service and obedience to Ner'zhul. As the months passed, Kel'Thuzad found many eager volunteers for his new cult amongst the tired, overburdened laborers of Lordaeron. Surprisingly, Kel'Thuzad's goal to pervert the citizens' faith in the Holy Light towards belief in Ner'zhul's dark shadow was easily attained. As the Cult of the Damned grew in size and influence, Kel'Thuzad made sure to keep its workings secret from the authorities of Lordaeron at every turn. Quotes *''Your curiosity will be the death of you.'' *''Come now, initiate. There is much to learn.'' Notes *Kel'thuzad's current location is believed to be a man of great influence within the Tirisfal area, having arrived within the past several months. But who is he? *Kel'thuzad commandeered the server for a brief spell during development when a glitched version of him was spawned, and wasn't able to be deleted for several hours leading to widespread panic among the staff. Category:Human Category:Major characters Category:Scourge Category:Cult of the Damned